Liddick: How to succeed in Colorado without really trying

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Why should one strive to succeed in Democrat-ruled Colorado?

In a rational world, one works to better one’s lot. Consider education: responsible, engaged parents seek the best school districts they can afford for their children, then labor and sacrifice to be able to live in them. They scrimp and save to provide what support they can for their children’s post-secondary education. They, and their children, study the costs and the benefits of various institutions and routes to a diploma — and choose the most appropriate.

But in the Democrat Utopia currently under construction beneath the shrouded dome in Denver, those who pay state income taxes will be asked to pony up at least an additional $1.1 billion so less-well-off school districts in Colorado can spend like Cherry Creek. The lesson? Don’t bother trying to do better. The Democrats will take care of you with money confiscated from those who already have. This will also punish the successful for undetected crimes they have certainly committed in amassing their ill-got fortunes.

Saving for college is dumb; just charge it. The bill will never, ever come due: it’s too big, and that’s not fair. There are already moves afoot in Washington to offer debt forgiveness on student loans, because it’s not right to expect young people to pay their creditors back. They’re all just greedy one-percent bankers anyway, so who cares if they get stiffed?

Why should one obey the law in Democrat-ruled Colorado?

In a rational world, residence and its benefits are subject to legal constraints: a citizen has permissions and access to services that those who are not, do not. But thanks to the panderfest that is the 2013 Colorado Legislature, those living here in contravention to the law can attend our colleges at tuition rates unobtainable by a citizen of New Mexico. Later, when the heat blows over, they will be given the ability to work here as well — if Federal Democrat lawmakers don’t offer that benefit first.

And let’s not even mention pot.

Why should one be prudent with one’s money in Colorado — or for that matter, anywhere in Democrat-dominated America?

Consider housing. Despite the fact that the Great Recession was triggered by too many people buying houses they could not afford and subsequently absconding on their debts, the Obama Administration has picked North Carolina congressman Mel Watt to head the Federal Housing Finance Agency. Mr. Watt saw racism in lending practices leading up to the collapse, and is currently the darling of hard left pressure groups such as “National People’s Action,” who think everyone should have unlimited credit. In nominating Mr. Watt, President Obama opined that his nominee “Led efforts to rein in unscrupulous lenders,” apparently meaning those who evaluated potential borrowers according to their credit histories. The President also said that he had “fought to give more Americans ... access to affordable housing.” Which was one of the root causes of the housing collapse: giving a favored class that which many of its members could not afford, for political favors. So don’t worry. If you are in over your head on a home loan, President Obama’s appointee will see you are bailed out. As long as you are the right color.

You see Mr. Watt, former head of the congressional Black Caucus, believes — in his words — that “a majority of white voters” are racist and “should be excluded from the democratic process.” So don’t look to him for help if you’re white.

Alone, any of the above might be taken as a quirk or a grab for political advantage. Together, they form a pattern we ignore at our peril. Berating those who produce the country’s wealth; taxing gain not to protect the Republic, but to serve a narrow elite’s political agenda; arguing the laws do not apply to favored classes; insisting that those who have less must be made whole by the government on the pretense of “fairness;” throwing prudence, experience, history and tradition to the winds — these are symptoms of a deeply rotten political system.

The siren song of a government that rights all wrongs and cures all cares is bewitching; the past and present are strewn with the remains of societies it has lured onto the rocks. To avoid their fate, we must all remember some hard realities we are now being urged to ignore: that governments are better at control than comfort, so it is wise to keep them small; that no country can spend more than it earns without a painful reckoning; and that rule by ideologues of the left will end with a state against which individuals are powerless. This is the goal toward which our politics are now rushing, both in Colorado and Washington.